It was the 20th anniversary of Ireland joining the EU. Over 300 million Irish pounds were never redeemed for euros. The Central Bank of Ireland maintained reserves for every unaccounted pound.
Sean had missed the brass ring in life; this was his chance. Printing 20th Century Irish currency should be easier than printing today’s laden with security features. It did not matter that he was half a world away in San Francisco. The money had been sitting there for years; no one would miss it.
Bernard Sheridan was a lifer at the Central Bank though his destiny had been handed to a ruthless outsider. His career was coming to an ignominious end; he would be a footnote.
McAuliffe and Sheridan were natural enemies, the scammer and the banker. Preparation, preparation, preparation along with guileful execution found them on the wrong side of a vault door. Millions of euros, careers, not to mention prison hung in the balance.
David Devine is a second-generation Irish-American. Today, the lilt of an Irish brogue touches his heart. A native of San Francisco he was raised across the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree for Industrial Engineering & Operations Research from the University of California, Berkeley.
He worked in Ocean Transportation holding roles in Engineering, Marine Terminal Management, and Sales. He also provided Management Consulting services in Silicon Valley. Having not suffered enough anguish from the corporate world he owned and operated a bicycle store.
A prolific technical writer, David began creative writing on a whim with short stories. Having anthology success with Murray, The Disgruntled Reindeer, he would go on to write a novella and a radio play script. Hibernia is his debut novel.
He has two daughters. David currently resides near the mist of Niagara Falls with his Grenadian (he swears she sounds Irish) wife.
He takes inspiration from Julia Child, Lee Trevino, and W.C. Fields. He is an avid chef. Do not ask for his guacamole recipe. There is none; it’s guacamole.
It was the 50th Anniversary of Grenada’s independence, but how independent is it? The Commonwealth and Monarchy live in the past. The Russians are sinister, the Americans are absent. But it is when the Chinese plot to exploit the volcano for global economic dominance, that disgruntled, inebriate armadillo researcher Oisin Finnegan, former Green Beret and disavowed DIA agent, answers the call for himself, for Patricia, for Grenada.